Wireless communication systems have become ubiquitous in society. Consumers use a wide range of devices and networks, including cellular phones, paging devices, personal communication services (PCS) systems, and wireless data networks. Wireless service providers are creating new markets for wireless devices and expanding existing markets by making wireless devices and services cheaper and more reliable. Wireless service providers attract new customers by reducing infrastructure costs and operating costs, by increasing handset battery life, and improving quality of service, and new and better features.
Wireless service providers may improve the quality and variety of services in a number of ways, including providing data services to the latest generation of mobile stations (e.g., cell phones, wireless laptops) and other wireless terminals. A number of technologies are able to deliver data services (e.g., web browsing, e-mail) or a mixture of voice and data services. For instance, in CDMA2000 (or IS-2000) technology, IS-2000-1xEV-DO networks provide data service and IS-2000-1xEV-DV provide voice and data services.
However, the services provided by conventional wireless networks are limited in large part by the frequency assignments (or carriers) of each network. It is noted that the term “frequency assignment” and “carrier” are used synonymously herein. The term “frequency assignment” is more commonly used in Europe and Asia and the term “carrier” is more commonly used in North America. Conventional base stations and mobile stations are limited to transmitting and receiving on a particular carrier (or frequency assignment). For example, an IS-2000-1xEV-DO network has a frequency assignment (FA) that limits the transmission of data to the maximum bandwidth of the forward channel carrier. Similarly, an IS-2000-1xEV-DV network has a frequency assignment (FA) that has a limited number of carriers for transmitting voice to a mobile station and a limited number of carriers for transmitting data to a mobile station.
In either type of network, if a mobile station must receive a large burst of data, the downlink (or forward channel) bandwidth is limited by the frequency assignment of the network. Mobile stations rarely need to operate at very high data rates, so the bandwidth of the carrier in each network is generally suited to meet the average bandwidth requirements of mobile stations. Thus, when a mobile station does experience a demand peak, the carrier limitations of the downlink cause delays and loss of data.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for improved wireless networks having increased downlink capacity. In particular, there is a need for wireless networks and wireless terminals that are not limited by inflexible frequency assignments of the wireless network.